Our Curriculum

Early Years Foundation Stage

The EYFS curriculum covers our children from two years until the end of their Reception year. The Early Years curriculum caters for the wide range of special needs in Acorn and Oakleigh School. We build on the knowledge we have on the child to individualise learning and provide an environment that allows the child to learn and develop to their maximum potential.

Children follow the EYFS curriculum and the areas are as follows:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication and Language

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Arts and Design

Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Curriculum

Introduction We strongly believe that our pupils deserve a curriculum which is personalised, relevant, motivating, balanced, innovative, has meaningful real life contexts for learning, and has appropriate breadth. We provide a multi-sensory approach to learning embedded within a creative, individualised and exciting framework, which is delivered through holistic experiences.

We are mindful of providing our children with challenging expectations.

We recognise the need for our pupils to develop the pre-requisite skills needed for learning those required in the National Curriculum subjects. Children have access to a wide range of literacy teaching, including differentiated storytelling, phonic awareness, and early mark making and writing opportunities.

These skills may develop laterally and in very small linear steps.

We view the curriculum as the contexts for learning at the very earliest developmental levels.

Individualised planning ensures that children build on existing levels of knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding. We nurture these areas to help the children to make progress at their own rate.

Children learn best in an environment which recognises and values the whole child. We help our pupils to develop their Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Sensory and Physical Development. Sensory and Perceptual development and Learning through ICT are strands which run throughout our curriculum. ICT is seen as an enabling strategy, and will be used to increase their access to the outside world, enhance communication, and develop environmental control as well as exploring their own interests.

We plan and organise the curriculum so that all pupils take part in activities that are meaningful to them and which have learning objectives that are relevant and challenging. We use a range of teaching strategies and approaches within each lesson so that all pupils are involved and appropriately supported to learn.

We support pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that will help them to have interesting lives outside school and to make the most of the opportunities available to them after school.

We recognise the importance of learning through Play, in order to develop all aspects of the developing child, including their emotional well-being, cognition, social skills and physical development.

Curriculum Structure Our curriculum is divided into three strands, which are:

Our curriculum recognises four areas of learning. These areas are in line with the children’s Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and Personal Learning Plan (PLP) areas, thus ensuring that we are truly addressing the individual needs of each pupil, tracking from their EHCP right through to the curriculum which is provided on a daily basis.

These are:

Communication and Interaction Development

Cognition and Learning

Social, emotional and mental health

Sensory and Physical Development

Our overarching themes run a three year cycle and include the following: The Senses, Shapes/Pattern, The Seaside, Ourselves, Colour, Water, Light and Dark, Movement and Animals. The purpose of using themes is to provide children with teaching and learning which is embedded within fun, motiving and meaningful contexts which capture the children’s interest. Additionally they encourage a broad and enriched curriculum to be delivered. Pupils will be expected to revisit earlier learning but engage in a more challenging learning outcome. This process ensures a sense of progression and embeds learning through necessary repetition which monitors progress and real understanding, and provides opportunities for generalisation which are crucial for our pupils at this stage.

Termly Themes The Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children all follow the same Termly Themes. These are on a three yearly cycle, which ensures opportunity for repetition, consolidation and extension of skills laterally and linearly. These themes provide exciting, motivating, meaningful and purposeful contexts for skills-based learning.

Additionally they encourage a broad and enriched curriculum to be delivered. Pupils will be expected to revisit earlier learning but engage in a more challenging learning outcome. This process ensures a sense of progression and embeds learning through necessary repetition which monitors progress and real understanding, and provides opportunities for generalisation which are crucial for our pupils at this stage.

Our theme cycle is:

Cycle 1

The Senses

Shapes and Pattern

The Seaside

Cycle 2

Ourselves

Colour

Water

Cycle 3

Light and Dark

Movement

Animals

Please see our 3-Year Cycle document (PDF) for a further breakdown of our themes for children in KS1 and KS2.

If you would like more information about our curriculum, please contact your child’s class teacher or the school office.